As much as I would like to get the Atrix, I would not want to be paying a whole lot more monthly. I'm eligible for an upgrade, and I currently have a blackberry pearl. This is the breakdown of my current monthly phone expenses.
rate plan (old old plan) - $29.99 for 300 mins, 500 mins nights and weekends with rollover
unlimited text msg. - $20.00
data - pay per use.
In total, I pay $49.99 + tax = $55.00 give or take.. without using data
So for those who got the atrix, when you sign-in at&t and check your options in at&t website, what are the available features or options? Does it matter what phone/device you have selected to be able to see all the features/plans/data that is available for that particular phone?
I would like to get the $30.00 unlimited messaging and unlimited data, but I'd like to keep my old rate plan ($29.99 for 300 mins, 500 mins n&w).
I have checked with bestbuy, and they have the $30 unlimited integrated messaging and data option available, but I might need to buy the phone from them for $199. Amazon is selling the phone for $149.99, but there is no option for the $30 unlimited integrated messaging and data. Costco is selling for $119.99 with the option of the $30.00 unlimited messaging and data, but would also need to have the required Data plan (200mb for $15, or 2gb for $25, etc).
I have seen the $30 unlimited messaging and data online on at&t premier website before, but unfortunately, I could not find it any longer. I called at&t and asked about that feature, but they said that option is only for non-smartphones.
I'd prefer to buy through amazon or costco, but I am not sure if I will be able to change/get my feature on my online account. When I check my account, I do not see any option of the $30 unlimited messaging and data. Do I have to change my selected phone/device on my account to see that features/plans/rates?
Could anyone help me check the availability for those options? If anyone has any suggestions/ideas how it could be done, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
There is no such thing as a $30 unlimited Text and Data for the Atrix.
Fixter is correct
They only have 20.00 "text Data" and any mobile to mobile unlimited.
here's a screen shot of the cart I have from costco. You can find/see the unlimited messaging and data for $30 boxed in red. I did not buy it yet because I wanted to make sure that I could keep my old minutes plan. I do not want to include the 200MB DataPlus plan, so if the online account would allow/have the feature of disabling (opt-out) the 200MB plan, I would go for it.
gaaaouuu said:
here's a screen shot of the cart I have from costco. You can find/see the unlimited messaging and data for $30 boxed in red. I did not buy it yet because I wanted to make sure that I could keep my old minutes plan. I do not want to include the 200MB DataPlus plan, so if the online account would allow/have the feature of disabling (opt-out) the 200MB plan, I would go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If thats really what I think it is and if i didnt have my unlimited i would stand outside costco first thing in the morning.
I came across the "$30 unlimited messaging and data" from this forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=960510
That is for buying it online from at&t premier. as i said, the plan was taken down or is no longer available on at&t's website, and is a lot more expensive because the $100 discount for the phone is gone, so you'll pay the whole $299 for the phone + all required features.
Also, I do not know how to prove it here, but best buy also has the $30 unlimited plan available that they could set up for you once you bought the phone (they used my account to access the feature (it was available on their system), and tested it with the Inspire since the two atrix they had here in Norman, OK and was sold out). According to the guy I talked to, at&t made that feature available.
so, for those that has the atrix and could look into their account online, is there any features supporting this?
I would like to be able to get the phone at Costco for $119.99, get all the features similar to my posted "checkout screen shot", then go online to my account and disable the 200MB Plan while retaining the $30 unlimited messaging and data plan.
One-time bill: phone $119.99
Monthly bill: old plan $29.99
Unlimited messaging and data 30.00
Total: $119.99 + 59.99 = $179.98
monthly would just be 59.99 + tax
Is it doable?
Is that "Messaging and Data Unlimited" a dumbphone plan feature? I see a monthly $15 DataPlus 200MB on that screenshot too.
I am seeing alot of people getting "upgraded" ( charge alot ) by at&t later on
Said plan isn't available for the atrix.there may be some loop in the system that would let you check out, but I doubt it'd last very long... I would almost bed that it would error out before cometing the transaction...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
gaaaouuu said:
One-time bill: phone $119.99
Monthly bill: old plan $29.99
Unlimited messaging and data 30.00
Total: $119.99 + 59.99 = $179.98
monthly would just be 59.99 + tax
Is it doable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll lose your old plan so that becomes $39.99 if you signed for the $119 phone unless you go to the customer desk and convinced them to keep your old plan.
I am not sure if there is human support at Costco to allow you to keep the old plan.
got my first bill for my Atrix:
Plan: 700min, Unlimited Text, phone Insurance, 4gb Data w/tethering with 10% Discount threw work, (plus $18 upgrade fee with is bull$h!t) comes to a total of $157.65
ATT store has the Phone only for $199.99 with 2yr upgrade, should have went to walmart and got i for $138.99
LastQuark said:
You'll lose your old plan so that becomes $39.99 if you signed for the $119 phone unless you go to the customer desk and convinced them to keep your old plan.
I am not sure if there is human support at Costco to allow you to keep the old plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About 6-7 yrs ago, when I first got my phone, I had the $29.99 plan, don't remember how many minutes it was, probably 200-300 mins. anyway, i went over my limit a few years ago, and my bill skyrocketed from $45+ total to $180-200 for a couple of months due to school projects. I called at&t representative to ask them what they could do with it, and pretty much, they could back date it if i changed my rate plan to a plan that would cover that much minutes i used. so they did, my bill got cut in half or so (that $200 got cut in half, but the $180 did not because already paid it). a few months later, I did not need much of my minutes anymore so I called them to go back my old plan. they said it was gone, the plan no longer existed. With much debating saying i do not need that much minutes, and i'm trying to save some money, they got me back on a plan that cost $29.99 (same price as my old one, just not sure if it was the same plan, but i was happy since i got it back to that price). So it might or might not work going back to the plan that previously existed by calling an at&t representative. the representative need to have the authority to bypass the system though i think.
MattZ71:
Do you think you could log into your account on at&t and check if there are options of disabling/changing some of the features to check what the "lowest" monthly bill you could get for the atrix? I'm wanting to know the features/options/plans available for the atrix.
Also, did you have to update your "phone device" on your account to match your phone (atrix)? I have a BB pearl and i changed my "phone device" on my account page to BB pearl from a motorola. I wondered if changing that would change the features/options/plans available. Thanks!
Welcome to the world of data plans. Do you have a 30 day return window
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
LastQuark said:
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To have unlimited now you need to be grandfathered in. IE you had to have it when they offered is and if you change it you lose it. So in your case since you've never had it you can never get it. So you can go with the 2 gig plan or the 4 gig tether plan. Sorry :-(
Sent from my Nook Color on Honeycomb 1.1 OC
LastQuark said:
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you going to go about keeping the current plan you have if you're going to buy the phone from costco?
The course of action i could think of is buying the phone from costco, get the 2gb data plan + $30 unlimited msg and data (which is still available at their website), and 450 mins (39.99). then just call back at&t to get the 29.99 plan back, cancel the "2gb plan" online on the "my account features" while retaining the $30 unlimited.
from the last time i know (about a week ago, 2/28), bestbuy have the $30 unlimited msg and data on their system when i tried to check out a phone (inspire/atrix), but as i mentioned before, they sell the phone at 199.99. The cellphone representatives are the ones that helped me check if the $30 unlimited plan was available. We kind of tried checking out a phone to see what plans/features are available and in their system at the store, it did show the $30 unlimited msg and data, so you probably need to go to the store and have them check it out. i never tried checking it out from bestbuy website.
Let me know how you fare. Are you buying your atrix online or B&M at costco? i just checked costco's checkout, and they still have that $30 unlimited msg and text.
gaaaouuu said:
How are you going to go about keeping the current plan you have if you're going to buy the phone from costco?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With Costco, you can "upgrade" your existing phone and the website allows you to keep your existing plan. Go here:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/browsePhones/
...then go to the phone manufacturer on the left pane. Make sure you click "Upgrade" right above the phone pricing. After adding the item in your cart, it asks you to keep or modify your existing plan. The only problem with this is it will not give you the $30/mo unlimited data option. So you are stucked with the 2gb data plan.
gaaaouuu said:
The course of action i could think of is buying the phone from costco, get the 2gb data plan + $30 unlimited msg and data (which is still available at their website), and 450 mins (39.99). then just call back at&t to get the 29.99 plan back, cancel the "2gb plan" online on the "my account features" while retaining the $30 unlimited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is making more sense now. I can see the $30 unlimited only if you activate a new line or change your plan to $39.99. The danger here is if ATT will give you your $29.99 plan back.
gaaaouuu said:
from the last time i know (about a week ago, 2/28), bestbuy have the $30 unlimited msg and data on their system when i tried to check out a phone (inspire/atrix), but as i mentioned before, they sell the phone at 199.99. The cellphone representatives are the ones that helped me check if the $30 unlimited plan was available. We kind of tried checking out a phone to see what plans/features are available and in their system at the store, it did show the $30 unlimited msg and data, so you probably need to go to the store and have them check it out. i never tried checking it out from bestbuy website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked again it is not in their website.
gaaaouuu said:
Let me know how you fare. Are you buying your atrix online or B&M at costco? i just checked costco's checkout, and they still have that $30 unlimited msg and text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Costco is where I might end up and skip the unlimited data plan. I can't risk my $29.99 voice plan. It looks like AT&T offers the unlimited data every now and then to stop the momentum of their competitors.
To the OP: I think you are misunderstanding the "Messaging and Data Unlimited". It's a non-smartphone feature. It used to be the MEdia Net plan, for non smartphones, which they discontinued when they killed off that brand name.
I can almost guarantee you that this feature will not work, and if it does go through, AT&T will not let it work. They know exactly what phone you use through the IMEI and they will just throw you on the proper data plan. If it were that easy to get an unlimited data plan these days, not to mention at such a cheap price, there would be a HUGE stir around the web-o-sphere and everyone would be doing it.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-captivate/151003-messaging-data-unlimited-plan-additional-fee.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958525
Also if you want to have any hope of getting some kind of deal through, or preserving part of your plan, I would just go straight to a corporate store. Costco and all other 3rd party retailers don't have the same managerial powers that Corp. employees do. In the end you're only saving $50 on the possibility of ruining your grandfathered plan.
LastQuark said:
With Costco, you can "upgrade" your existing phone and the website allows you to keep your existing plan. Go here:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/browsePhones/
...then go to the phone manufacturer on the left pane. Make sure you click "Upgrade" right above the phone pricing. After adding the item in your cart, it asks you to keep or modify your existing plan. The only problem with this is it will not give you the $30/mo unlimited data option. So you are stucked with the 2gb data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called at&t to make sure that I can go back to the $29.99 plan, but they said that smartphones require the $39.99 plan. So the best way really is to just upgrade the phone and get the 2gb data plan so we can keep our $29.99 plan just as you mentioned.
dLo GSR said:
To the OP: I think you are misunderstanding the "Messaging and Data Unlimited". It's a non-smartphone feature. It used to be the MEdia Net plan, for non smartphones, which they discontinued when they killed off that brand name.
I can almost guarantee you that this feature will not work, and if it does go through, AT&T will not let it work. They know exactly what phone you use through the IMEI and they will just throw you on the proper data plan. If it were that easy to get an unlimited data plan these days, not to mention at such a cheap price, there would be a HUGE stir around the web-o-sphere and everyone would be doing it.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-cap...ional-fee.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958525
Also if you want to have any hope of getting some kind of deal through, or preserving part of your plan, I would just go straight to a corporate store. Costco and all other 3rd party retailers don't have the same managerial powers that Corp. employees do. In the end you're only saving $50 on the possibility of ruining your grandfathered plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Going to a corporate store would not help save our existing $29.99. As I mentioned above, the at&t representative told me that smartphones require the 39.99, and the only way to bypass that is by buying the phone itself without changing any plans. What LastQuark mentioned about only upgrading the phone is pretty much the safest bet that would allow us to keep our existing $29.99 plan, and as a plus only pay $119.99 for the phone, instead of going directly to at&t which we would pay $199.99 and would have to give up our grandfathered plan.
I have read other forums about the unlimited text and data, and I agree that there is a chance that it might not work, and that if it does, it might not be long till the plan gets switched automatically to a proper plan. Per the at&t representative, there are different bands or something for the data plan that they use for smartphones vs non-smartphones. He said, you might be able to use the non-smartphone data plan on a smartphone, but it is probably not as optimized/work as good as the smartphone data plan on smartphones.
Other forums have also suggested to not buy the phone from at&t because at&t would have the IMEI on hand. Now that might or might not be the case for 3rd party retailers. I do not remember what forum it was i read that from, but it might be possible to get away with it by buying the phone on 3rd party retailers.
I appreciate the information, this thread is so we, or I, could find the best deal out of the phone. buying the phone for $119.99 is great, but it would be even sweeter if there is a way to keep our monthly expenses minimal.
So far, the surest way is to buy the phone from costco and just upgrading the phone itself and getting either the $15 200mb data or $25 2gb data. even with that, it's already a $54.99 ($29.99 + $25.00) excluding msging. With unlimited messaging, it's up to $74.99 ($29.99 + 25.00 + 20.00).
Very good information there in buying from AT&T, exposing IMEI, and various bands for unlimited data plans.
Unlimited data plan on all providers is imminent. This is similar to when dial-up internet is just starting. Pay by the hour. Few months down the road, it will be free! Paying for capped data plan today is not a bad idea.
By the way, from what I am reading, messaging as in text messaging and SMS, is not necessary since you can use your data plan through Google voice as a substitute or as long as you install an Android application available in the market.
I am going to Costco today to pick one up.
Hey,
My friend's on a grandfathered iPhone 3G unlimited data plan. He's upgrading to a OGS2, he went to our corporate store but they removed the OGS2, only offering the skyrocket. They still have the S2 on the online store however. How can he go about keeping the unlimited plan when he does the upgrade?
Edit: Sorry wrong form. If anyone can move to General, that would be awesome.
You could try ordering over the phone or if you dont mind taking a drive, you could try a different AT&T store, probably one outside an LTE service area, as those seem to still carry the original SGSII.
Sent from my SGS II.
I have heard Best Buy will let you keep the unlimited data. You can also buy through the att website, without having to choose new data plan. When you choose the phone, it just lets you skip the data part if you don't want to switch. I know Walmart, Amazon and most other 3rd parties make you select one of the new plans. People say if you call and complain enough they will put back the unlimited data, but there is no guarantee.
Best buy will also price match, and let you return without the restocking fee. But that might be in store only, don't know about online with Best Buy.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Walmart allows you to keep your existing plan as well unless the sales associate is an idiot and messes something up.
Att online may mess up the transfer also from an iPhone your best bet is to go into an Att store. Its at the stores discretion if they will stop carrying the gs2. My store is in an lte footprint and we have no.intentions of removing the gs2 instead we will be leveraging it over it's bigger brother.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
I have been an avid iPhone user for over 3 years and just made the switch about a month ago. I too had the unlimited data plan.
Purchased my SGS2 from Best Buy and the representative called to activate and made sure to tell them to keep the unlimited data. All you need to do is order the phone, and when you receive it simply contact ATT's customer service line or when you have it activated be sure to tell the person not to change your plan.
If you do happen to lose it due to someone's mistake, just call the customer service line back and a manager/supervisor can reinstate the grandfathered plan. Hope this helps.
I bought mine at Walmart, and they only had the 2GB option in their system. They said it wasn't a problem, I could just call AT&T and they'd take care of it. And they did. So even if you lose it, you can get it back.
i kept my unlimited iphone plan when i upgraded through walmart...
one thing is at&t keeps bugging me with text saying "AT&T Free Msg: Did you know an eligible data plan us required for your 4G Smartphone? Pls Call 611 to select a plan and establish you 4G data connection today" is anyone else getting this? Its annoying, they send it weekly almost
Btw I have the regular s2 not the lte
so I see Amazon's offering this phone for $229.99 as an upgrade($199.99 if you are new)...
I am wondering though, if we do the $229.99 deal, is it possible to keep current plan or are we forced to choose one of the new tiered data packages?
Have to ask VZW to make sure you don't lose unlimited.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
No sir
voxigenboy said:
so I see Amazon's offering this phone for $229.99 as an upgrade($199.99 if you are new)...
I am wondering though, if we do the $229.99 deal, is it possible to keep current plan or are we forced to choose one of the new tiered data packages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my understanding VZW does not currently force grandfathered customers with the unlimited plan to change when they upgrade to a new device. I've verified this with VZW Customer Service last month. This doesn't mean it will always be this way so I would take advantage somewhat soon before they close the loophole.
Maybe Jayochs or another member can chime in to verify.
heh.. I figured it out. it first asks you to pick your minute plan, then your data plan. I wasn't getting past the minute page because my minute plan is not listed(I have 200 minutes for $29/month)... but once you get to the data page, you can just check off the tab that specifies you want to use your exsisting unlimited.
considering id be saving $70 off of Verizon's price I could just select the 450 minute - $39 plan & then call Verizon afterwards to get it changed back.
Me Too
Marcismo55 said:
From my understanding VZW does not currently force grandfathered customers with the unlimited plan to change when they upgrade to a new device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not jumped onto this ship yet. That said, VZW rep swore to me less than a week ago that if we have unlimited 3G then we will have unlimited 4G. She said there was nothing to note in the record; it was simply the way it is.
If you have unlimited data now, you will continue to have unlimited data. Makes no difference if you have a 3G or 4G phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
Hello Everyone,
I in the next few days I will be available for a device upgrade. I am going to go from a Rezound to S4 but I am concerned about my unlimited data.
I still have unlimited data on my plan, will upgrading my device change this?
I know now they are forcing everyone into tiered plans but I was hoping this would not change my plan. My wife and I are on a shared plan and she had to get a 2GB data plan when she got her Rhyme. I was grandfathered into my unlimited when I got my Rezound. I also still have the 500 txt messages for $5 a month which they do not offer anymore. I hope that does not get changed either
Thanks,
Ian...
if you get the phone subsidized you lose unlimited, if you have another line you can take and activate the new phone on then move the phone back to your unlimited line you should be good. just don't activate the subsidized device on the unlimited line or you are toast. at least I think that's how it all works.
Spyke562 said:
Hello Everyone,
I in the next few days I will be available for a device upgrade. I am going to go from a Rezound to S4 but I am concerned about my unlimited data.
I still have unlimited data on my plan, will upgrading my device change this?
I know now they are forcing everyone into tiered plans but I was hoping this would not change my plan. My wife and I are on a shared plan and she had to get a 2GB data plan when she got her Rhyme. I was grandfathered into my unlimited when I got my Rezound. I also still have the 500 txt messages for $5 a month which they do not offer anymore. I hope that does not get changed either
Thanks,
Ian...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to buy the phone outright at full price to retain your unlimited if you can't do the alternative line option corporal_hades pointed out. Verizon is offering financing to split the cost over 12 months with an additional $2 a month charge I believe.
I'm in the same boat you're in, I would like to upgrade, don't wanna give up my unlimited either.
Thanks for the information guys. Sometimes it seems like Verizon and the other carriers got us by the [email protected]
Don't forget the Moto X is $399, and the LG G2, HTC One, and Droid Ultra are $449 off contract now... just one more way to keep unlimited data.
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/08/2...-retail-with-no-hassle-use-the-iconic-portal/
It may also be worth it to decide if you really need unlimited data, or change your usage somewhat to get within 2 or 4 GB of data a month, you can save a lot if you can make some changes to your usage and get on WiFi more.
I know corporate stores will not do it, but one of the smaller Verizon stores I went into the other day said I could use my upgrade to get a new phone on my wife's life(alternate upgrade), then do a hardware swap to put the new phone on my line. It wouldn't hurt to ask a few of the stores around you to see if theyll do that.
She said if I did this I would be able to keep my unlimited.
Sent from my HTC Rezound using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I upgraded to the HTC one through best buy and was able to keep my unlimited plan. I upgraded the phone on my account that's already on the tiered data plan. Then switched the new phone to my unlimited line at the Verizon store. Best buy or Verizon didn't give me any problems doing it. Small price to pay to keep unlimited data.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda app-developers app
Hey all,
I've searched a lot on the net about keeping my unlimited data plan, and I've found tons of answers on how to use best buy, or upgrades on different lines, but nothing that seemed to touch on my situation - if any of you have any solutions, I'd be really grateful.
I've had an HTC Thunderbolt since it first came out, and I have the unlimited data plan. I don't have any other lines, and I currently have an upgrade available. I'm out of contract by about 16 months, and pay month to month now.
I have a friend who works for a cell phone remanufacturer and they got me a verizon samsung galaxy s4 for a good price so that I don't have to use the upgrade and lose my plan..
I stopped by verizon and asked for a blank sim card for it, and got that with no problems.
My question is, how do I go about activating the S4 and keeping my grandfathered plan - just call verizon, or take it to the store, or ...?
Thank you for any help you have, and sorry if this has been touched on somewhere else - I wasn't having any luck finding it.
laughingwolf said:
Hey all,
I've searched a lot on the net about keeping my unlimited data plan, and I've found tons of answers on how to use best buy, or upgrades on different lines, but nothing that seemed to touch on my situation - if any of you have any solutions, I'd be really grateful.
I've had an HTC Thunderbolt since it first came out, and I have the unlimited data plan. I don't have any other lines, and I currently have an upgrade available. I'm out of contract by about 16 months, and pay month to month now.
I have a friend who works for a cell phone remanufacturer and they got me a verizon samsung galaxy s4 for a good price so that I don't have to use the upgrade and lose my plan..
I stopped by verizon and asked for a blank sim card for it, and got that with no problems.
My question is, how do I go about activating the S4 and keeping my grandfathered plan - just call verizon, or take it to the store, or ...?
Thank you for any help you have, and sorry if this has been touched on somewhere else - I wasn't having any luck finding it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a long thread in the General forum about this. Perhaps you should read that.
The best thread is here and also this.
I'm not telling you what to do but I called Verizon and spoke with them before upgrading my phone. The woman told me that as long as I didn't take the upgrade and simply activated my new phone using the website, I would keep my unlimited data plan. This is what I did and all worked swimmingly. Bought the phone on Ebay making sure the EIN was still good and activated on the website. All remained the same and I had a new phone.
Smabbage said:
I'm not telling you what to do but I called Verizon and spoke with them before upgrading my phone. The woman told me that as long as I didn't take the upgrade and simply activated my new phone using the website, I would keep my unlimited data plan. This is what I did and all worked swimmingly. Bought the phone on Ebay making sure the EIN was still good and activated on the website. All remained the same and I had a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on now my 4th phone since they discontinued upgrades on grandfathered plans. If it needed a different sized SIM, I got one from the store, otherwise I just swap from phone to phone. No problems at all. Even spoke to the VZW rep about it who told me he did the same thing and his phone was rooted as well. But as long as you don't change'extend your plan, you're good. THAT is what takes away grandfathered data
Activating a device should not change your plan. The only circumstances under which it might would be if you had a 3g plan (iPhone 4 for example) and bought a 4g device. Your plan would need to be updated to support 4g services. That being said, I don't think they would change any of the primary features. You simply cannot use a subsidized upgrade on your unlimited data line; they have it set up to where purchasing a new device requires that you add "compatible" features - and unlimited data isn't, according to their sales rules. So, as long as you buy your own device, you should be fine.
I had a thought on the 3g>4g thing - wife currently has a 3g phone; if I were to buy a 4g device out of contract, would it be possible to keep her on 3g services? She has a 2gb data limit and the low bandwidth seems to be a good way of limiting her data use (although she routinely approaches 1gb of usage every month...damn Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram.